On entering the staff room to begin our conversation, Ant Clements bumps into one of his old pupils, James Smith, now head of the History department, poignantly highlighting Ant’s incredible length of service at Moulsford.

Ant and Gaby met at teacher training college studying art and music, and in 1986 Ant started his career at Moulsford teaching Science, RS, Games and Art, where he was posted in a shed style classroom without any heating.

AC: It was a very different institution back then. A really traditional prep school, where boys were known by their surname. Much smaller then, the whole school fitted in the front school hall for assemblies, with the staff standing on the stairs and the boys below.

In the 1980s there were just over 100 boys in the whole school, with single form entry and no Pre-Prep. Ant was delighted when he was moved to the warmth of the main school alongside Gaby in 1993, after being asked to head up the boarding house. Gaby’s role was the domestic bursar, managing the catering and cleaning staff, as well as doing some teaching alongside her principal duty as house mother. These first years running the boarding were some of their happiest at the school, as they got to know everything about the school and its workings, and set about creating a family feel to the boys’ weekday home.

GC: We loved the boarding side. We had a fantastic group of boys in those first years. They were so good with Caroline, our two-year old daughter.  The ethos changed dramatically as they took charge.

AC: Our philosophy was immediately to change it into a family environment with a homely feel. We softened it. In a sense, we broke the mold. It’s even more so now.

A few years later the Clements’ son Alex became a pupil at Moulsford living in the boarding house run by his parents. Ant recalls being mortified when Alex was suspended for the day after a prank with his friend in which he put washing up liquid in the drinking water dispenser of the staff common room.

AC: Teaching in a prep school in those days [70s and 80s] was very much seen as a vocation. This is your life. You commit yourself to this, you work extremely hard. You give everything to the school; your life, your soul, your time. And your family are second. It may sound Victorian, but that’s how it was back in the 70s and 80s. With Mike and Joanna [Higham] the ethos of the school changed massively. It softened. Mike transformed it from a very traditional prep school to somewhere much more progressive. The number of boys at school trebled over the next 20 years.

GC: It went from a three-line whip to be at school events to wanting to be there. We wanted to support Mike and Joanna, we enjoyed it, and it was fun.

AC: The school looked after me, and I looked after the school. It’s been a symbiotic relationship.  It wasn’t just a job for us and the family, it was our way of life. I am proud of the fact that I have now been at Moulsford for 103 terms.

Some of the major highlights and memories for the Clements were the many school trips they went on. For Ant these included the Jersey football tours, tennis tours to Portugal, St Ives art trips, Hilltops adventure weekends, Ardeche Canoeing holidays and the Leavers’ trips. They both particularly enjoyed the South African rugby tours, which Gaby says ‘were massively hard work, but such a privilege to see that country’.  School events were an equally enjoyable part of their roles, with the plays particularly special for Ant, who loved working on the set design and creation alongside Jess Roberts. Gaby threw herself into the musical side of school life, supporting the many concerts, carol services and productions over the years.

So asking them what they didn’t miss now that they are retired, revealed the more stressful sides of working life at Moulsford, one of which for Ant was timetable scheduling.

AC: I would wake up at 3 in the morning, and realise I can’t put that lesson there. I would have sleepless nights for months. I did pass that job on after a few years.

Speaking about her highlights at school, Gaby recalls how she would watch her 3C boys as they went up through the school.

GC:  I always used to celebrate when it was one of my boys who became head boy. It was a privilege to see them grow up.

Gaby was known for being rather strict with the boys in her class. On speech days, Mr Martin would often make some mention of ‘those who escaped the silver bullet of 3C’.

GC: Yes, I was tough. But, I hope that when they look back, they see that the discipline and structure I instilled, stood them in good stead all the way through their school life. I wanted to prepare them for the next stage of looking after themselves and becoming self-reliant, and I made them aim high and work hard; if  they  pushed themselves, they would always achieve more. I do miss the challenge of teaching the boys and all the different characters that came though 3C.

AC: My philosophy with the boys in art was to show them they could all succeed at something. I used to get them to explore lots of different techniques, always working from life as a starting point but developing their ideas using a wide range of varied materials and different approaches trying to find their strengths. The realisation that they were able to achieve through a particular medium, helped build their confidence and opened up more avenues of creativity. That’s what it was about.

Asking the Clements if there was a constant through their time there, despite the evolution of the school, they spoke of a consistent thread of high standards and a drive for progress, which made Moulsford unique.

GC: As a staff, we asked for the best from the boys, and they achieved amazing results by the end of Year 8 and beyond. The academic standards at Moulsford have always been high.

AC: Whilst it has traditional roots, Moulsford has always been progressive in its thinking, ahead of the curve. It’s embraced technology, always provided excellent resources for teaching, and given its staff a level of autonomy and trust, which allowed them to deliver the best for the boys.

Having reflected on their time at Moulsford, we turned to what Ant and Gaby have been doing since retiring in 2019. They started with hopes of much travelling, and made it out to Majorca and Mauritius before the spring of 2020 halted foreign travel for a while. Despite that, they found many avenues to keep them occupied.

AC: I wanted structure to the week. I got a job at Waitrose in Wallingford soon after retiring, and now work there once a week at the Deli counter. It allows me to get out and meet people, which I need, but without any stress.

It wasn’t long, however, before Ant returned to Moulsford part-time as a DT technician. He makes prototypes, maintains the machinery, and gets involved in making props and set construction for the school plays.

AC: I love coming in now, and working with Jess [Roberts]. We’ve  worked together for nearly 20 years. In fact, I employed her and was her mentor when she first arrived.

GC: I do a lot of musical activities, and help with choirs and at church every week. I still come back regularly to Moulsford. I’ve done a number of cover teaching roles, which have been quite fun. I’m booked in to play at the end of year concert this summer, and I’m coming into school at the moment to play the piano for the Year 7 musical “Danni”.

Another regular feature of Gaby’s week is now helping out at the Wallingford Food Bank. She has also been trying out golf, has had some lessons, and hopes to get back into it once it warms up a little. They both love the freedom of travel and getting away for short breaks, which retirement allows them, as well as the regular walks they do in the area. Their family is very important to them, so they try and get to see both Alex and Caroline on a regular basis - out for a lunch, a weekend visit, or the very exciting preparations for Caroline’s wedding in 2023.

AC: When you leave Moulsford, it feels sad that your 30 years of knowledge is no longer being utilised. You know everything about the workings of the school, and when you retire, you leave it all behind for the next generation.

GC: People said don’t take on too much when you retire, but we haven’t stopped have we? It’s about trying to use your skills and not let them die.

The Clements’ drive, varied interests and community-minded outlook will no doubt enable them to contribute in many ways throughout their retirement. As pillars of the school community for so long, Moulsford owes them a debt of gratitude, a feeling which resonates throughout the staff, evident in the warm and heart-felt interactions with the various teachers who pass through the common room.